Russian lawmakers claim WhatsApp is a national security threat, should prepare to leave the country

A Russian lawmaker who regulates the country’s IT said Friday that WhatsApp should prepare to leave the Russian market, warning that the messaging app would likely be put on a list of restricted software.

Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of the lower house of parliament’s information technology committee, said in a statement that MAX, a state-backed messaging app integrated with government services, could gain market share if WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, left the country.

“It’s time for WhatsApp to prepare to leave the Russian market,” Gorelkin said, adding that Meta is designated as an extremist organization in Russia.

Facebook and Instagram, both also owned by Meta, have been banned in Russia since 2022, when Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in a war that continues.

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Gorelkin made his comments after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law last month authorizing the development of MAX as Russia seeks to reduce its dependence on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Russian lawmakers approved sweeping legal amendments this week, proposing fines of up to 5,000 rubles, or $63, for anyone searching for material online the government considers to be extremist, including Instagram and Facebook, and opposition politicians and activists.

The proposal sparked criticism, including from some Kremlin backers like Margarita Simonyan, a state media executive who said journalists would be unable to investigate the activities of opposition groups such as the Anti-Corruption Fund founded by deceased opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

Anton Nemkin, a member of the parliament’s IT committee, said it was determined that WhatsApp would leave Russia.

“The presence of such a service in Russia’s digital space is, in fact, a legal breach of national security,” Nemkin said, according to TASS, a state-owned news agency.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said all services must follow Russian law when asked if WhatsApp may leave the country.

Russia has long attempted to establish what it describes as digital sovereignty by promoting home-grown services.

But critics have expressed concerns that Russia’s new state-backed messaging app may track its users’ activities and have suggested Russia could slow WhatsApp’s speeds to encourage downloads of the new app.

YouTube has had its audience in Russia decline significantly in the last year to fewer than 10 million daily users from more than 40 million in mid-2024 because slower download speeds have made it more difficult for people to access the video platform.

Shares in state-controlled technology company VK, which is developing homegrown digital services like VK Video, a rival to YouTube, grew 1.9% Friday.

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The Kremlin released a list of instructions this week from Putin, including a directive to introduce additional restrictions on the use in Russia of software, including communication services produced in “unfriendly countries” that have imposed sanctions against Russia.

Putin gave a deadline of Sept. 1.

Referring to Putin’s order, Gorelkin said WhatsApp would likely be among the communication services to face new restrictions.

Reuters contributed to this report.